1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to all types of pin tumbler and wafer tumbler locks, including but not limited to vertically spring biased pins and wafers, horizontally spring biased pins and wafers, including single sided and double sided spring biased pins within a lock housing. This also includes locks with and without a shear line, as well as locks that use a locking sidebar. This invention is specifically directed to a specific type of cylindrical lock which utilizes pins within a chamber with those pins to be moved lineally. But also the pins could be pivoted to a rotated position in order for a sidebar to enter so as to permit opening of a lock. This invention also pertains to a lock of similar construction where the pins within the separate chambers are to not only be moved lineally to a shear line, but also must be pivoted in order to permit a sidebar to engage before successfully operating the lock. The latter lock is much more complicated than prior locks and is known as a far more secure type of lock as it has literally thousands of additional combinations available.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Lock picks have long been known. The present inventor, in years past, has designed and patented a lock pick for a tubular type of lock. For the cylindrical type of lock, which utilizes a plurality of lineally movable lock pins within a plug, the normal lock picking type of device has been to insert a thin elongated member, commonly known as a blade, having an upper hiatused edge into the keyway of the lock and then to move that blade in an in-and-out manner relative to the lock while at the same time applying a torque to the plug. The purpose of moving the blade in and out is to cause the abutting surfaces of the upper and lower lock pins to move and be located at a shear line and when all the lock pins are located at the shear line, the lock will open, e.g. when the top pins are wholly contained in the lock housing and the bottom pins are wholly contained within the plug and the abutting surfaces of both top and bottom pins are located at a shear line, the lock will open. This lock picking procedure has always been done manually in the past. The in and out movement of the blade has always been done by hand, never mechanically or motor driven.
In an effort to construct a lock that would not be easily picked, there is manufactured a cylinder type of lock which not only requires that the lock pins be lineally displaced to be located at the shear line but also requires that each of the lock pins be pivoted to a particular position to engage with a locking sidebar. Just locating of the lock pins at the shear line is not sufficient. Each of the lock pins also has to engage in a correct manner with a locking sidebar in order to permit the lock to open.
Prior to the present invention there has not been known any type of lock pick that could be utilized to open a lock that requires pivoting of the lock pins within the lock to a particular established position. Picking of locks is the common procedure utilized by locksmiths since people notoriously misplace or lose keys and now it is required that a lock has to be picked in order to gain access to a certain structure such as a car, house, padlock, vending machine, alarm system, laundry equipment, money changer, safe and so forth. If the lock is of the type previously described which utilizes pivoting pins, the only way that access could be gained would be by complete destruction of the lock requiring its replacement. It would certainly be advantageous to eliminate the replacement of the lock if the lock could be just picked.